Ledge of Life
by Prophe-Cass
Summary: It was true; Chat Noir did have an odd tendency to land on Marinette's roof when he needed medical assistance. But there was that one time where Ladybug arrived at the Agreste mansion with a bullet wound in her gut, and a lack of blood in her system but an abundance on her suit. It's all Adrien can do to hide her from Natalie and his father. Oh, and Plagg just wants camembert.
1. Chapter 1

It wasn't uncommon for Ladybug and Chat Noir to fend off normal criminals, drunk men and women, and robbers. They usually took care of them easily, handing them over to the police or bringing the confused, drunk people home.

It wasn't uncommon to have Chat get hurt during one of these battles and go to Marinette's house, where she would take care of him until he got better.

It was, however, uncommon for Ladybug to be the one who got hurt.

Ladybug had been battling a group of no-good thieves who had tried to rob a young girl, her lithe, agile body weaving in between the men as she landed well-placed blows to their bodies.

She knocked two out with ease within minutes, turning to the youngest of the trio, a scared, shaking young man.

"I'm sorry, Ladybug, I didn't mean no harm!" He begged, not noticing that he had used a double negative. Therefore, he had meant harm. "I was just havin' a little fun, y-you see."

"Tell it to the cops." Ladybug hissed, not stopping in her warpath.

She took no notice when a motorcycle passed by, figuring that it was just one of the cars that sometimes came down this street. She didn't notice when it backtracked, the goon riding it noticing her instantly, his body shaking as he realized she was preparing to knock one of the crooks unconscious. He was the getaway driver - kinda useless in a motorcycle - and he wasn't going to let her hurt one of his friends.

She didn't hear him gasp, pulling out a gun, but she did hear the gunshot, and feel the pain that filled her lower back, opposite her stomach.

She did hear the young woman, who stood near the street, scream in horror, shouting out a warning seconds too late.

She could see the bullet come out of the center of her stomach, colliding with the wall with a dull thud.

Red.

That was all Ladybug could see, feel, taste. She felt the irony taste creep into her tongue, and she swung her fist out wildly at the place where she remembered the third crook had been. Her hand collided with his skull, and she whipped around to face the fourth guy on the motorcycle.

The red began to clear away, and she could see his frightened face as he re-cocked the gun, shaking all over.

She descended upon him, ripping the gun from his hand and tossing it into the road, listening with satisfaction as it crunched from the impact, breaking.

Then, she slammed the man's head into the handles of the bike, turning to the young girl, who stood watching the heroine in appreciation and worry.

"Call 911…" Ladybug ordered, slowly turning away as she used her yo-yo to pull herself away onto the nearby building.

After a moment to get her breath back, which took much longer then she wanted, she felt Tikki, in her suit, urge her onwards gently, begging her to get her yo-yo and continue on.

After a few minutes of swinging around aimlessly, she felt herself go on autopilot, Tikki taking the reigns by controlling her suit.

The oldest Kwami guided her through the streets as the pain came even worse, the heroine quivering as she swung along.

_Chat Noir. I need…Chat Noir…_ A tiny voice in her whispered, reminding her of all the times she helped Chat. Surely, he would help her. He had to. If only she knew where she was…

Her mind was blanking out, and she was barely aware of her surroundings. All she knew was that Tikki was taking her somewhere safe, somewhere secure.

She saw a tall, whitish-grey building in front of her, Tikki barely managing to land her on the narrow ledge outside of one of the windows. The landing wasn't as graceful as Ladybug or Tikki wanted, her body smacking against the transparent covering dully, her knees buckling.

Her entire body began to sink drearily, and she knew deep inside that she couldn't stay on the two-inch-thick paneling outside the window, and she would most likely fall to the cement twenty feet down. Where would she be then?

Ladybug couldn't stop herself from leaning backward, her body trembling.

Well. She thought bitterly in her last seconds. That failed. I wonder if my life will flash before my eyes.

She heard a gentle creak from somewhere nearby, a shout of panic that was too masculine to be hers, and then a hand grasped hers, her slow-motion tip backwards stopped with a jerk.

"I got you." A low voice, sounding suspiciously like Chat Noir, whispered, a dull hum. "Push towards me."

Ladybug, summoning her last bit of strength, heeded the words, using her legs to shove herself towards the voice, leaning for him eagerly…smacking right into the window.

"Um…yeah, close enough." The voice said, pulling her in the proper direction.

She tumbled a few feet, feeling something warm, like a body, getting trapped beneath her. "'M sorry…" she grunted, nothing more than a rag doll.

"It's…puff…okay…" the body heaved her off of it, its breath stirring her hair. "Are you okay, Ladybug?"

"There…was…a gun…"

"That explains all the blood…I need to get you somewhere more private." The body picked her up, with some effort, staggering greatly as they pulled her to the 'somewhere more private' place.

The body set her down gently on a rough surface, sighing gently. "I'm sorry, but until I'm sure everyone is asleep, I can't put you anywhere more comfortable."

"Chat…?" Ladybug didn't open her eyes, she would only blurry shapes, but she was confident by the voice that it was her partner.

The voice inhaled sharply and took a moment to reply. "Yeah. Yeah. I'm here, M'lady. Don't worry."

"Thank you…for helping…Chat Noir…"

"Don't thank me yet. We need to clean your wound, and…well…it's not exactly painless."

Ladybug nodded, twitching gently. "Alright…"

"How did the bullet pierce your suit? Isn't our armor magical?"

"You have…armor…" Ladybug panted. "I…have…jumpsuit…"

"Right, but still! Isn't it magical?"

"I…suppose…so…" Ladybug shrugged. "I…don't know…Maybe bullets…are a…freebie…?" She chuckled weakly at her own joke, tasting blood on her tongue.

"This isn't funny. Stop it." Chat hissed, the sound of a faucet turning on.

"As if you…don't make…jokes…in perilous situations." Ladybug sniffed, shaking her head weakly. She tasted the blood on her tongue and coughed it off, shaking.

"Oh my gosh!" Chat's voice sounded horrified, falling to his knees beside her dramatically. "Ladybug…oh my gosh, you're coughing up blood, that means you're bleeding internally! You need a doctor!"

"No!" Ladybug jerked suddenly, more blood pooling out of her mouth at the sudden movement.

"Alright, stop talking!" Chat Noir begged, touching her hand. "Listen. I'm going to need to clean your wounds. So…prepare."

Ladybug nodded, braced herself, gripping air. She curled her fingers so hard that it hurt. The cold, wet washcloth touched the bullet hole, soaking up the blood. It was _agony_, clouding her senses. She bit her tongue hard, crying her best not to scream. Something told her that if she made even a whimper someone would discover her.

"You're doing well." Chat murmured, the sound of something ripping coming right after his words.

Ladybug started at the noise, trying to open her eyes.

"Nononono, keep them closed, M'lady." Chat hummed, pressing something else to the wound. "This is gauze. It should help with the bleeding."

Ladybug felt herself bracing her body once again, Chat's hands gently wrapping around her stomach as he wrapped the bandage around her. "Sorry." He mumbled, sounding guilty. "This probably hurts…"

"Shut up." Ladybug hissed, and Chat Noir promptly shut up, not speaking. This was a first. He usually was so vocal in his thoughts, with or without her angry retorts.

After a few agonizing minutes, Chat sighed dully, humming. "I need to get some extra things for you to sleep on tonight. You aren't going anywhere in your condition."

Ladybug groaned, listening to his retreating footsteps.

She sought comfort, maybe a little bit of warmth, within the hard, tile floor, and wrinkled her nose a little. What was that stench?! Did Chat Noir live in a pigsty?

"You look pale." A slightly bored, annoyed male voice mumbled in her face, and she jumped. She hadn't heard anyone approach.

Ladybug recognized his voice from Sandboy and Style Queen, frowning slightly. "I just…lost a hecka…lot…of blood. Do…you think…I wouldn't…be pale?"

"Whatever. Do you have camembert?"

"Plagg!" Chat Noir apparently came back, landing gently next to Ladybug. "Sorry. He's…annoying, for lack of a better word."

"Yeah… I… know." Ladybug mumbled, shifting herself against his leg.

"Right. You've met. Apparently." Chat Noir grumbled, then his tone shifted to serious. "I'm going to pick you up. It might–"

"-hurt. I…know…" Ladybug interrupted grumpily, feeling his arms go around her legs and back.

"Three…two…one!" Chat Noir hoisted her up into the air with a little gasp of air.

Weird. From Ladybug's experience, he could pick her up one-handed. Carrying her bridal style was simply second-nature at this point. Must be his civilian form.

Chat Noir was careful as he carried her, panting heavily. After a minute, they began ascending what felt like a spiral stair-case, but that was preposterous. Who had a spiral stair-case?

_Adrien did._

Chat Noir finally settled her down on something unusually soft and silky. Like the expensive kind that not only felt of silk, but actually was silk.

She sighed at the sudden comfort of the pillows, as Chat Noir piled silk sheets and woolen quilts on top of her.

"There you go." Chat Noir sighed, settling down on the floor beside her. "Will your family miss you?"

Ladybug felt her heart tighten, and she gasped slightly. "What day…is…today?" Why couldn't she remember?

"Friday."

"School day…tomorrow?"

"No." Chat Noir sounded surprisingly at ease with her confusion. "Saturday. Also, it's July. Wouldn't be a school day anyway."

"Does Alya…want to…hang out…tomorrow?" Ladybug asked, frowning.

"If this wasn't such a terrible situation, I would say…um…yes, of course. You are Ladybug. But seeing how it is, I'll mention how you are giving away personal information."

"Don't we…know…each other's…secret…identities?" Ladybug inquired, confused.

"Of course not!" Chat hissed indignantly, then his voice lowered, fear lacing it. "Ladybug…you're hallucinating from blood loss. Tomorrow is Saturday. You have nothing planed. When will your parents notice you're missing?"

"Around…Brunch." Ladybug lazily told him, shrugging. "Dunch? Why don't we…have a…crossover between…lunch…and dinner?"

"What?"

"We…have…brunch…and brinner…"

"-I don't think we have brinner-"

"…why don't…we have…Dunch?"

"That's stupid."

"I…know…" Ladybug sighed, shaking her head. "I'm…stupid."

"No, you're not!"

"I…fail…all of…my assignments…in school…I couldn't…save Paris…without help…" Ladybug moaned, weakly raising her hand to clutch at Chat's arm. "I can't…save Paris…without…you..."

"Shoot. She's gone insane." Chat Noir mumbled, putting his hand over hers. "Listen, Ladybug, I need you to rest. Please. You're…you're tired, and you won't get better by talking."

Ladybug sighed, snuggling more into her blankets as she heeded his command.

As she fell asleep, Adrien felt like throwing up.

Great. When she next opened her eyes, she would know it was him, not Chat Noir. Thus, his identity would be revealed. And she knew Alya! He knew for an absolute fact that she must go to their school, because Alya didn't have any Internet Friends – since she was preferred doing all her reports on the Ladyblog herself – or any friends at all outside of school.

This was not going well.

"Well, you've gotten yourself into a corner this time, haven't you, Tomcat?" Plagg grinned, floating from wherever he had hidden earlier.

"This isn't funny, Plagg! Ladybug was bleeding out, she's currently sleeping in my house, and I don't know how to convince her I'm not me! Besides, now I know that she's friends with Alya in real life, and…and…"

"Com'n, I'm sure after you feed me camembert everything will be better." Plagg sympathetically soothed, curling into Adrien's hair gently.

Adrien usually didn't listen to Plagg's off-handed comments, but this time, he did. "Alright. Maybe doing something normal might get me in the right track of mind." Adrien decided, moving down his spiral staircase that connected to the lower level of his room.

"That's my kid." Plagg sighed dreamily, following Adrien down to the stash of camembert. "Always feeding me."

"Eat up, Plagg." Adrien commanded, raising his eyes up to where Ladybug slept, safely out of sight of the door. "Then try to help me think of a solution."

"Let her die and give her earrings to that Pigtail-girl at school." Plagg decided, eating on his cheese thoughtfully.

"What?! No, that's a terrible idea!"

"I was kidding. Look after her and if she wakes up, tell her that you were just trying to keep her calm or something. Be nice." Plagg shrugged, sighing. "I guess I have to go into hiding until she gets better."

"Oh, I didn't think of tha- Hey! Did you just say 'if' she wakes up? It's 'when'! 'When' she wakes up!"

"Alright, geez, dude, I was just trying to express my thoughts. Sure, whatever. I'm just pointing out that she bled out a lot, and still…um, you know. Die." Plagg munched thoughtfully on his camembert, nodding gently as Adrien fumed silently, glaring at his Kwami.

After a few minutes, Plagg finished the camembert, floating over to the still-angry teenager. "Hey, don't you have one of those weird bro-hang-out things with Nino tomorrow?"

"Unfortunately, you're right." Adrien grunted, reaching for his phone, getting ready to call off their 'epic bro fight' as Nino called it.

"Pity. Nino's smaller version likes camembert." Plagg sighed, recalling how, when Adrien and Nino were playing games, he would be rummaging through the fridge to get to the labeled Tupperware that read 'Chris' and contained a piece of gooy yumminess. He wouldn't eat the full thing, just nibble at it. He loved that thing. It was so smelly.

"First off, his name is Chris. Second, he's the only person in the world who does." Adrien sighed, finishing with the text.

Plagg stared at the screen filled with letters and sighed as he found his usual spot on top of Adrien's head. "I'm sorry, kid, for saying 'If'. I just want to be prepared for whatever happens. I can't deal with another surprise-death."

Adrien reached his hand up to gently pat Plagg and sighed in distress. "Me too, Plagg. Me too."

(:)

_Something cold._

_Something wet._

_Something soft._

_Something small._

_Something was somehow a mix of all these words to describe what sat upon her forehead, dripping down her temples and soaking her hair. It felt…strange. But nice._

_Something kind._

_Something worried._

_Something gentle._

_Something…familiar._

_Something was somehow a mix of all these words to describe the voice talking to her, loving and sweet that, for some reason, made her insides feel like they were made of mush._

_Something syrupy._

_Something tasty._

_Something fruity._

_Something was somehow a mix of all these words to describe the taste on her tongue, reminding her of the days before where she would be sick, and her mother would feed her medicine. Medicine…she liked the medicine. Yeah. It tasted like medicine._

_Something sweet._

_Something delicious._

_Something nostalgic._

_Something was somehow a mix of all these words to describe the smell around her which distinctly made her think of school, of yellow – no – blond hair. Once again the mushy feeling returned. But why? After a bit more thinking it also made her think of a cat. Weird._

_Something dark._

_Something was the only way she could describe her surroundings. Dark. Unsettling. Cramped. She was used to being free. Not trapped, like here. But where was here, anyway? It wasn't unpleasant, but it wasn't lovable, either. There was a grey area in there – no. A black area. Because she was in black. The cat would have laughed. The cat was black. And yellow. Like a bee. A bee was like Queen Bee. Who was Chloe. Chloe was mean. How did she get from the abyss around her to thinking about Chloe?!_

_Focus. Focus._

_She could figure this out. She could figure out where she was. She could! She could! She just needed to remember…well, the last thing she could._

_Think! Think! Thi—_

(:)

Sunday. Two days after Ladybug had made her way to the Agreste mansion, and she was showing signs of improvement. While she hadn't woken up, she had gotten rid of her paleness and was beginning to gain more color, and her breathing had evened out.

Adrien had been feeding her – best he could – small drops of medicine that seemed like they might help with her sickness and had left as much of his meal as he could sneak away each day beside her, in hopes she would wake up and eat.

On the morning of Saturday, he had suddenly panicked with the realization she could have transformed back during the night so he couldn't check on her.

Plagg assured him – with some annoyance – that provided they hadn't used their power yet, that Miraculous Wielders could stay transformed for five days or longer depending on their power type. Since the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous were the most powerful, they could stay transformed for seven, eight tops.

So that took some stress of.

Adrien pretty much spent the entire day doing homework next to her. And talking to her. Which was pretty weird. Especially since Plagg just sat there, watching him. (That night Adrien thought he heard Plagg talking to Ladybug's Kwami, Tikki, who also couldn't respond.)

Then it was Sunday, Adrien's traditional break-day. Sometimes he had to do little thing, such as reviewing his Chinese, but even those were rare. Luckily, today was not one of those 'rare' days, so he spent the full time from breakfast to lunch sitting a few feet away from Ladybug watching her closely. (Okay, he spent some of the time chatting with Nino over text, and even more time finishing homework, but the majority was spent watching her.)

Plagg, meanwhile, snacked on camembert a few inches from Ladybug's face.

Eventually, Adrien had to leave for lunch, much to his regret. "Plagg, watch her."

"Yessir." Plagg moved a few inches closer – thankfully done with his cheese – watching the heroine closely. "I will watch the ladybug."

"Not 'the ladybug' but 'Ladybug'."

"Yeah, whatever. I'll watch her." Plagg grunted, curling his tail around her arm. "Go eat or whatever."

"Thank you, Plagg." Adrien jumped onto the handrail on his spiral staircase, sliding down the railing while still standing.

"Show off!" Plagg called, sounding plenty annoyed.

Adrien ignored him, leaving his room to go to lunch. So what if he was a show off? It was fun to pull the stunts he had learned to do as Chat Noir. Ladybug would have scolded him for not being discreet, but if no one was around to see him, what did it matter?

Adrien forced down his want to do a backflip down the large staircase down to the lobby and settled for a speedy walk down to the dining room.

"Try to keep your pace to a minimum." Natalie ordered the moment the door was pushed open, hardly glancing up from the tablet. "Even if you aren't out in public it is good to practice self-control."

"Right. Sorry, Natalie." Adrien apologized, sliding into his usual spot.

"Your next meal with your father is scheduled in three weeks." Natalie told him without being prompted, sensing that he would inquire of the older male Agreste.

Adrien never thought he would be thankful that he wouldn't be able to see his father for so long. If his father were here, it'd be quite a while before he could make his way back to Ladybug. His father – not to mention Natalie – would be suspicious if he left before his father did.

"Thank you, Natalie." Adrien's shoulders relaxed, sliding into his seat.

"Remember, tomorrow we'll be getting back into full swing. You'll have to get up early, because of a photo shoot. You'll have to skip the first twenty minutes of school due to this, and then everything will preceed like normal until lunch; then you have Chinese for two hours. You'll get to school in time for the last class but will have to leave before that's over for—" Natalie's voice faded into the back of Adrien's consciousness.

He wanted Ladybug back. It was hard to just sit here and do nothing. Perhaps if he knew who she was it would be easier to help; but he would respect her wishes and not look. But still…

"Here's a copy of your schedule." Natalie said, shocking Adrien out of his sorrow, setting the paper in front of Adrien.

"Thank you, Natalie." Adrien nodded, taking into hand.

Natalie left the room; no doubt to bring lunch to Gabriel, and Adrien snuck out to the kitchen to grab the tray of leftovers that usually sat on the island on the floor. He could give that to Ladybug.

To his relief, the chef was gone from the room and was probably on his own lunch break elsewhere. Adrien grabbed the tray, carefully balancing it. He'd have to go quick to make it up to his room and back before Natalie returned to take away his plate. Adrien pushed open the door, looking back and forth in worry. Seeing the coast was clear, he carefully tip-toed up the stairs and into his room.

"You're back!" Plagg chimed, peaking over the edge of the second floor.

"Not for long." Adrien slipped the plate onto his desk, nodding at the Kwami. "I'll be back in five."

"Fiiine." Plagg groaned, melting back behind the railing.

Adrien snuck out of the room, heading down to the dining room.

Of course, half way down his phone began ringing, loudly.

Adrien scrambled to pick it up, trying to silence it. Abandoning all signs of silence, he dashed into the dining room and slid into his chair hastily, pulling the phone to his ear. As he stuffed several forkfuls of food into his mouth.

"Adrien!" Nino, on the other side, sounded too freaked out for his own good. "Is that you?"

Adrien swallowed, wondering what was wrong. "What is it, Nino?"

"Marinette's missing!" Nino blurted, voice shaking.

"What?!" Adrien sat up straight in his chair, eyes widening. "For how long? Where was the last place she was seen?"

"Her parents last saw her on Friday night. They didn't think anything of it, but then on Saturday she didn't show up, and they thought she had gone over to Alya's and they had just forgotten she had gone over. When she didn't return by curfew, they tried calling her, but she didn't respond! They thought maybe her phone had run out of charge and she was staying over at Alya's, but they didn't think much of it and then she didn't return earlier, and they began to freak, and I didn't want to bother you when they called out the search party but we can't think of anywhere else she might be except your house, and I'm freaking out and is she over there, because if she isn't I might literally explode, and I'm freaking out—"

"Nino! Deep breath…She's not over here, but I'll ask Natalie to help search."

Nino obeyed his best friend, inhaling sharply then exhaling slowly and shakily. "Alright. Alright. Thanks, dude. I'm just really worried about her. She's like, the most righteous person in class, except for you, and I don't think I could handle it if she went missing." Nino laughed bitterly, sounding way to worried. "Especially if Alya freaks. When Alya freaks, she freaks, dude."

"Trust me. I know." Adrien promised, standing up. "I'll begin searching."

"Thanks, man. I…I'm really worried."

"No problem."

Nino hung up, and Adrien, appetite lost, scraped the food into the garbage.

He was freaking out.

Adrien jogged up to his room, closing the door behind him.

"Plagg!" He hissed, and the black kwamis appeared, eagerly soaring towards his chosen. "Marinette's missing."

"Pigtails?"

"Yeah. Pigtails. She's missing; has been since Friday."

Plagg groaned in annoyance, perching on top of the dinner platter of food. "Oh, since Friday? Friday night?"

"Yes…?" Adrien blinked in confusion, frowning at Plagg in confusion.

"And who showed up here on Friday?"

"Oh my gosh, Plagg!" He had basically just blurted it out! How could he?! "You can't just—"

"Well, I did! And now you can take her home, and don't have to risk your identity! Just go, kid! Save your girlfriend!"

"She's not my girlfriend." Adrien mumbled, sitting down heavily on his bed. Marinette, the cheerful, shy, clumsy girl who sat in front of him was Ladybug, the serious, brave, strong girl who saved Paris with him. The greatest female friend he had was the love of his life? The girl who stammered uncertainly whenever she was around him was the one who punched him when he made a stupid pun or flirted too much?

"Can't believe you've never noticed who she is." Plagg reflected, grinning. "Now, are you going to take Pigtails back home, or what?"

"I…Yeah. I'm going to have to." Adrien straightened, eyes lifting up to where Ladybug lay. "Let's go."

"Oh, yeah, she also woke up right before you came in." Plagg reflected, grinning at Adrien's horrified face.

"Why didn't you say anything?!" Adrien yelped, already charging for the stairs.

"I just did!" Plagg sneered, thinking the whole ordeal was so much fun.

Adrien slid over next to Ladybug, leaning over her. "Ladybug!"

Ladybug, eyes opened just a crack, winced in pain, groaning. "'hat, be quiet…too loud…"

"I'm sorry. I'm…just, I'm so happy you're awake." Adrien's voice lowered, putting one hand under her head and the other under her legs. "I'm going to take you home, okay?"

"Mmm." Ladybug nodded blearily, hand gently going towards her stomach. "Ya smell nice…"

"Um, yeah." That…was a weird thing to say. "I guess so?"

"And 'heese." Ladybug mumbled, snuggling into his arms. "Camembert, mayb'e."

"Okay, yeah, that makes sense. My Kwami loves cheese."

"M'kay." Ladybug smiling softly, squeezing her eyes shut as she fell silent.

"Plagg." Adrien hissed, summoning his kwami over. "I can't bring her home as Ladybug."

"Tikki can detransform without a command." Plagg told him, looking down at the exhausted heroine. "She's aware of almost everything that's happening when Marinette's Ladybug."

Wow. Plagg officially just said it.

"She's especially aware when the chosen is unconscious, or close to it." Plagg explained, smiling. "She can detransform at any time you want."

"Alright, um, so she can detransform the moment I get her home?"

"Yep. She can hear you, ya'know."

"Oh. Um…that's…creepy." Adrien glanced at Ladybug's pale face and took a deep breath. "Plagg, claws out."

He transformed after a quick, green flash of light, and jumped out of the window immediately. He scurried along rooftops, watching Ladybug's pale face as her hair fluttered against her cheeks. He hated seeing her in pain. It…it wasn't right.

She was Marinette. Marinette. Marinette was in pain in his arm. Marinette; the only one in his class yet to be akumatized. The seemingly-indestructible one who owned a green and orange yo-yo and kept it in her purse 'in case of emergencies'. Adrien never really got why she said it that way until now.

Man, he loved her so much. How had he been so blind?

Chat Noir vaulted over a chimney with ease, glancing down at Ladybug again. Wow. She was just…beautiful. Majestic, even.

All too soon Chat reached her house, kneeling down on her balcony as he fumbled for the handle of her skylight.

The moment he lifted the door an inch, Ladybug detransformed into Marinette, Tikki landing on the ground with a teddy-bear squeak.

"Sorry!" Chat hissed, pushing up the window fully and scooping Tikki up into his hand protectively. "I hope you're not hurt."

"Just tired." Tikki hummed back, forcing herself to begin floating and nestled herself into Marinette's hair. "I'll be fine in a bit."

"Whew! Good to know."

"Plagg shouldn't have told you." Tikki deadpanned as Chat lowered Marinette onto her bed. "We were supposed to keep it hidden."

"I know." Chat Noir admitted, crawling into the room after setting the teenager down. "And I'm sorry he did. But at least she'll be fine, now."

"Chat Noir, please don't tell anyone who she is, and act like you don't know. Please." Tikki begged, eyes narrowing in worry.

"I will." Chat Noir promised, crawling over to the trap door on the ground. "I won't tell anyone, I swear."

"Thank you." Tikki sighed in relief, vanishing from sight as she cuddled even further into Marinette's hair.

Chat Noir cocked his head, listening for any noises from the kitchen and living room below that showed that someone was home.

A second later there was a creek of floorboards, no doubt Sabine wandering around the room instead of her husband, due to the smallness of it.

Chat Noir slammed his hand against the trap door, hoping to draw her attention to the room. He pounded it twice more, to ensure Sabine was on her way, then he jumped backwards to Marinette's window and pushed it open, jumping out. He grabbed the building and gently eased the window shut, watching Sabine life up the trap door, looking around in confusion.

Satisfied that he had completed his job, Chat Noir headed home, sighing in relief.

Marinette. Was Ladybug. It was obvious in hindsight, but at the time – literally twenty minutes ago – it was mind-boggling. Mysterious. Weird.

Adrien landed in his room, detransforming with the usual command, flopping on his bed as he groaned, loudly.

"Okay, so, I told you the girl's identity. Do I get a prize?" Plagg asked, eager for more cheese.

Adrien only groaned, pointing at his spare cabinets that were practically stuffed with camembert. "That was an immature thing to do…" He grumbled, but Plagg laughed out loud.

"You're happy with me, admit it."

Adrien didn't. Not out loud, at least. But that Kwami was right. He was happy to know who His Lady was. If not a little shocked.

* * *

**Well. That's done. This is 76% a Oneshot, BTW, so don't get your hopes up for a part two, though that may be up for debate depending on my mood. *sighs***

**Anyone who follows my books, pls read if you are waiting on updates for my other stories;**

**Voltron fans; a new book will be posted in early April. For my current ongoing VLD books…I lost interest in writing/drawing Voltron. It may take years to finish them, if I ever do.**

**Miraculous Ladybug fans; Well, while I don't plan to post anything new this month; I have a lot of thoughts going around in my head! So many ideas. I swear I'll update Bedtime Stories and Switcharoo soon. I just have a lot going on, and am trying to devote all my time to writing one story I plan to release in April. So those two books might not be continued this month, but next month for sure!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I blame ChubbyUnicornMama/CaptainMalcolmReynolds**

**It's been almost a year since we talked about making a continuation to this, but…I still blame you.**

(:)

The next week was packed full of blessing. Hawkmoth didn't attack the entire time, Alya informed Adrien that Marinette was found (even though the teen already knew, because he was the one to figure it out), three days later, Marinette got out of the hospital ahead of schedule, and for the first time, Gabriel allowed Adrien to go see a movie with Nino.

Despite all the wonderful things going on in his life, Chat Noir could not accept it when Ladybug swung down next to him.

After all, her doctors had told Marinette that it would be another two weeks before she could do all the things she had done before – not including gym, which would only be allowed after a month or two more. And if gym was restricted, of course she couldn't go swinging around as Ladybug!

Nuh-uh. Out of the question.

His worry for her was what caused him to do what he did. Or at least, that's the way he always told the story. (To Plagg, since no-one else could really listen.)

One day, whilst he was doing his patrol rounds, Ladybug caught up to him, yo-yo string retracting into its thick shell as she did a perfect backflip next to him. "Hey, Chat!"

He jumped at least a foot high, gaping at her in shock. "What're you-? You're not supposed to be-?!"

"Well, I am here." Ladybug shrugged, looking a bit confused by his uncompleted sentences. "I'm sorry I've been gone for so long; personal matters and all that junk."

Chat Noir groaned – loudly – in annoyance. "That's not what I meant."

"Really?" Ladybug blinked in surprise, cocking her head. Chat really wasn't looking forward to this. "Then what is going on?"

Chat Noir took a deep breath, shaking his head. "Ladybug, I know."

"Know what…?"

"I know you were shot." Chat Noir told her, crossing his arms.

Ladybug paled several shades and jerked back from him, grabbing her stomach in pain at the sharp movement, gaping at him. "No! You couldn't have…how? You can't…" She paused for a moment, then her eyes alit in fury. "What are you talking about? I wasn't shot! I've been perfectly fine for the last week, and-!"

"Oh, you weren't shot? You've been perfectly fine?" Chat Noir sarcastically growled, eyes narrowing. "I don't recall that being the motto when you landed on my window sill last Friday. _Delirious and bleeding out_, might I add."

"I thought…" Ladybug frowned in confusion. "Wait, that_ wasn't_ just a hallucination?" She gripped her head. "No, no, that means…but then…how'd I get home?!" She looked up, eyes wide and horrified. "No."

"I'm sorry." He said, tilting his head. "I needed to get you home, Marinette, and I couldn't-"

"No, nononono." She whimpered, sitting down and cradling her temples. "This wasn't _supposed to happen._"

"Marine-"

"No!" She insisted, jolting backwards. "No, while we're talking, I'm _Ladybug._ I'm not… I don't know…" she murmured, covering her face. "You're not supposed to know about my civilian life. And my civilian life friends aren't supposed to know about my super hero life. They're supposed to be _separate, _ but now I can't keep them that way, and-" she peeked up at him from between her fingers, making it impossible for him to know what she was feeling. "You're not supposed to know…"

"I'm sorry." He repeated. "_Ladybug,_ you worried me so much. You were unconscious for literal days, and there was so much blood everywhere. I knew you had to get real care, and…well, I had to convince Plagg to tell me so I could get you somewhere safe."

"I wasn't hallucinating." Ladybug whined again. "I've actually been… Wait! I've actually been in your house!"

"Yes." Chat Noir nodded, forcing himself not to smile at the thought. "You have."

"It stunk." Ladybug said, recalling the single detail she actually was able to hone onto that wasn't just her conversation with him. "Really, really bad."

"Camembert." He told her. "The rest of the house is odorless. Unfortunately, my room is the victim of Plagg's cheese hiding places."

She cracked a small smile at that.

"Not the best place for medical care." He joked.

"No." Ladybug agreed.

She paused for a long moment, tilting her head. "I don't blame you." She assured him, ducking her head once more. "I'm not really mad, either. Frustrated at myself, but you're not… you're not the victim, okay?"

Chat Noir nodded, reaching out to hold her hand. Ladybug let him take it.

"Listen." She said, quietly. "Now that you know, I don't think that I can really _restrict _you from coming over to my house. You can hang out there, if you want. Just… don't reveal your identity. Not until I'm ready, okay?"

"I'll wait as long as you want me to." He promised, squeezing gently.

"Oh, boy." She sighed. "This is going to take so much getting used to." She squinted suspiciously. "Wait, you're going to be mother-henning me, aren't you?"

Unashamed, he nodded.

"Great. Another one." She accepted reluctantly, ducking her head. "I wonder how long I'll survive with all this doting attention. It was _so hard_ to sneak out just for patrol."

"Well, sneaking out time's over." He said, scooping her up into his arms with no warning, carefully supporting her abdomen. "You've got to get home and _rest._"

Ladybug grunted noncommittedly, crossing her arms stubbornly. "Sleep is for the weak."

"Sleep is for the smart." He flashed back, giving her his best model-smile. "And for those who just got shot."

"I'm never going to be able to sneak out ever again." Ladybug realized in distaste, glaring up at her perpetrator.

(:)

"Are you _sure_ you don't need anything?" Chat Noir wanted to know, staring at her with his biggest kitten eyes.

"_Yes, _for the last time." Marinette groaned, covering her face. "I know you're making my parents, like, unbelievably happy that you can take care of me while they're in the bakery, but… I can handle myself."

"I know." He agreed, bobbing his head. "I know you're quite capable, but you're injured." He narrowed his eyes. "Injured enough that it left you unconscious for two days."

"It was a mistake letting Tikki take me there." Marinette deadpanned, glaring at her red Kwami.

"Judging by how you collapsed the moment you reached his house, which was closer than your house was at the moment, you wouldn't have lasted all the way back to the bakery." Tikki pointed out. "And even if you had, your parents would have had no idea why _Ladybug_ had chosen to come to their house for shelter. I doubt you would have even been coherent enough to transform. Finally, _if_ you made it far enough to detransfrom, your parents would have mothered you far more then Chat Noir ever did. Is."

"But still." Marinette insisted, leaning forward. "This is getting so _annoying._"

"Care to say that to the one person who kept you alive for two days?" Chat Noir admonished, blinking quite slowly at her.

"Okay, okay, point taken." She grunted, flopping back down to stare at the ceiling. "I hate being on bed rest."

"I'm sorry." He said, genuinely apologetic. "I know you're usually a very active person, and this must be horrible for you, but it's for the best so you can recover properly."

"Still sucks." Marinette grunted, reaching behind her to grab her sketch book from the shelf at the head of her bed. "It's really a shame that Alya has an internship and can't visit like you can." She said, glancing down. "I need a pencil. Will you get a pencil for me? They're in the middle pink drawer."

"Yeah." He jumped down to grab it, before swinging back up.

"I'm only a little confused on why Mama and Papa were so okay with …" she gestured to him. "_This._ Especially after the Weredad incident."

"Which I want an explanation for." Chat Noir reminded her, tilting his head. "Because that was the most confusing day of my life."

"I thought you had figured out my identity." She recited briefly, taking the pencil from his hand and beginning to doodle. She waited until his eyes lit up with realization, then nodded. "Yep. Dumb, right?"

"It was a very…confusing plan." He admitted. "Especially how your usual ones are so _surreal_."

"Mmhmm, yes, I know I'm brilliant." Marinette unhumbly boasted, flipping her loose hair over one shoulder as she continued to sketch.

Chat Noir beamed at her, watching her draw for several minutes, uncaring that she wasn't paying him any attention anymore. The silence between them was comforting, without any tension or worry.

Marinette – Ladybug – was okay, on the road to recovery. She might feel like the path was rough, but she was sticking to it. She was fine with him knowing her identity, and she wasn't shoving him out or demanding his Miraculous or anything. His fear for her condition was a thing of the past. Sure, he didn't want her to push herself too far, but he wasn't afraid that she would one day not wake up. Not anymore. Not after so many weeks.

Marinette looked up, blue eyes lovely and kind. "That position does not look pleasant. Come on up."

"Really?" He asked, perking up in surprise. She wasn't one for snuggling or sitting closely to…anyone, really.

"Sure." She shrugged, squeezing up close to the wall bordering the bed. She patted the area beside him, and he scampered over to sit down beside her, able to get a clear look of her sketchbook, littered with skirts, dresses, hats, and purses. There was one tiny Chat Noir in the corner, but her finger was half-covering it, so he was unable to get a good look at it.

Marinette closed the book slowly and decisively, staring at his boots as if they were the only bad thing in the world. "Boots. On my nice, clean blankets. Vermin."

"Sorry. Would take them off if I could." Chat Noir promised, hunching his shoulders guiltily.

"I don't actually mind." Marinette assured him, leaning against him gently. "I'm just messing with you, kitty."

His jolted in surprise, but when she didn't move, he relaxed, curling one arm around Marinette. Chat Noir snuggled his nose into her hair and kissing her forehead. "I'm glad you're alright, Milady."

"I know." Marinette assured. "I'm glad that, of everyone, it was you who helped me." She paused, tilting her head as she stared at the pink wall across the room thoughtfully. She gripped his free hand like a vise, looking back up at him. "It'll be soon, kitty." She smiled up at him, patting his leg. "Soon, I'll be ready for you to reveal yourself."

"Can't wait, Bugaboo." He purred against her. "Until then, I'll be patient."

(:)

**Ask in a review or PM Me if you want me to send you a several-paragraph-long essay on what inspiration I used for this story. XD**


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